


Daily life inside a birdcage

by HandmaidenOfHorror



Series: Convergence AU [2]
Category: DCU (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cassandra Cain is Batgirl, Convergence (DCU), F/F, Family, Gen, Hinted StephCass and JayTim, M/M, Pre-Slash, Redemption, Stephanie Brown is Batgirl, Tim Drake is Robin, reconcillation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-08
Updated: 2020-02-08
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:55:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22615207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HandmaidenOfHorror/pseuds/HandmaidenOfHorror
Summary: Trapped inside a dome with no contact with other world, Jason leaves behind drug lord slash anti-hero business and surprisingly finds himself bonding with other bat family members.
Relationships: Cassandra Cain & Jason Todd, Stephanie Brown & Cassandra Cain, Stephanie Brown & Jason Todd, Tim Drake & Jason Todd
Series: Convergence AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1649794
Comments: 2
Kudos: 29
Collections: Chocolate Box - Round 5





	Daily life inside a birdcage

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Arsenic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arsenic/gifts).



Jason’s life had taken a strange turn recently. Not that it had ever been particularly normal, but finding oneself in a city cut from the outside world (if the outside world still exists) by a honeycomb-patterned dome is about as far from normal as it gets. But hey, Jason can adapt. He’s been adapting to awful circumstances for as long as he remembers. But that was only the beginning of weird turns. When he found two Batgirls waiting for him in his flat, he expected a fight, and honestly expected to lose it and be hauled to Blackgate, and not a deluge of revelations.

Revelation #1: Congratulations, you have a mother who is alive! Turns out he wasn’t Sheila Heywood’s son to begin with, making his death a particularly cruel shaggy dog story. Furthermore, the woman in question is even less of a motherly figure, as Sandra Wu San is a murderous asshole absolutely dwarfing Sheila in terms of potential for evil.

(Would Jason be important enough for some sort of deity to choose him as their personal chew toy? Sometimes he suspects he might be.)

Revelation #2: Congratulations, you have a little sister! Said sister is not so little, two years younger than him at most (she understandably never kept dates) and so horrifyingly abused by both of her parents that the only thing that prevented Jason from hunting them down and killing them in a slow and painful manner was Cassandra pleading him not to do it.

Ah, Cassie. That girl is lovely. Jason has never in his life met somebody nearly as loving as her, somebody whose compassion extends to _everybody_ , enough to risk her life to protect a stranger who wanted to hurt her. Just being around Cassie makes Jason want to be a better person. And, on a deeper, somewhat selfish level, it gives him hope for the future – having bad parents doesn’t mean that Jason himself is destined to be a bad person.

And so Jason tries to be the best person he can be. In his day (well, more often night) job he continues to be Peter the Paramedic, providing first medical care and transport to people of the city, and a surprisingly good friend to nurse Brown, who acts openly affectionate towards him, which Jason doesn’t actually mind. He initially was mistrustful of her, believing she was spying on him for ~~his father~~ Batman, and then he suspected she was flirting with him. Thankfully, it turned out not to be the case (thank god, it would have been awkward).

When not helping people, Jason spends most of his time with Cass. The siblings have a lifetime to catch up with, and if the world (possibly) ending is to be an excuse, so be it. She may have trouble voicing her thoughts eloquently, but she is an absolute genius when it comes to expressing her thoughts and feelings nonverbally.

When Jason learned about her interest in theatre, like a good older brother he invited her to see a community theatre performance of Midsummer’s Night Dream. After Gotham became cut out from the (potentially nonexistent) outside world, obviously several entertainment industries – cinema, television, internet – ceased to exist, but even in such a dire situation, people tend to get bored – and really, a moment of respite is needed for sanity’s sake! Thus theatre regained its popularity, comedies in particular (who wants to watch misery unfold when your life is miserable already?). Jason found this particular play amusing due to it being, unknowingly to the playwright, a _kind of_ real person fanfiction.

Cass absolutely loved the experience, and kept coming to see every other play being performed, often multiple times. She took elements from the plays, both textual and acting, to enhance her communication skills in daily life, and even brought her best friend Stephanie into the theater obsession. Soon Jason frequently found the two girls performing monologues to each other, and Cassie’s were _perfect_ \- she was amazing in conveying emotions though body movements.

Stephanie on her part had more enthusiasm than talent, but she nonetheless had a lot of fun and her taking part in the home theatrical performances brought Cassandra joy. The two girls were very close, and Jason wondered whether there’s something else his little sister shares with him. However, it’s not his place to ask questions, especially when he knew Cassie may not be able to answer them.

Being friend with the Batgirls unfortunately also meant that sooner or later he will meet the rest of his estranged family. And, indeed, one morning just as both he and Stephanie were finishing their shift at the same time, and Stephanie was hugging him goodbye (as she does with her friends, and particularly fondly with Cass), Jason caught a glimpse of Robin (well, maybe Robin, are there still multiple Robins active?) staring at them.

Fuck.

Jason knew the boy was Stephanie’s sometimes-boyfriend (ex-boyfriend as of the last time Jason heard of him). Did he know Jason’s working at the hospital? Did he know him and Steph are now friends (not even reluctant enemies working together, but true friends enjoying each other’s company)? That he was Cassie’s brother? Probably not, judging from him reaction. Jason stared back. Stephanie quickly realized that the other boy was present and hurried to leave with him, and Jason was left with his own complicated feelings.

He hasn’t held any grudge against the boy in a long time, and his interactions with Cass and Steph caused him to learn things about Tim, in a sense getting to know him second hand. This in turn made him feel guilty, having mercilessly brutalized the younger teen on two separate occasions. This is not something that can just be forgiven, right?

That’s what he told Cass later at ~~his~~ their flat (at some point, his sister had moved in – Jason supposed that like a cat, she is a person who just appears one day and simply stays, though sometimes disappearing for days when she feels like it). He didn’t know why he did it, he just felt a need to vent to somebody, and Cass was a very good listener. His sister provided a simple advice.

“If you cannot tell him you are sorry, then write him a letter. I will give it to him”, she told him. While the idea seemed absurd at first, Jason decided to follow Cassie’s advice. He really felt sorry for his actions, but at the same time he couldn’t be sure he wouldn’t lose his temper if confronted face to face with the other boy, particularly since he doesn’t have any idea what he might be thinking.

So he wrote. He started with an apology, but then he just kept on writing, describing what he’s been doing since the dome came, his newfound familiar relation with Cassandra and the growing bond he has developed with her and Steph. He wrote about his job as a paramedic, and, impulsively, he finished his letter, now several pages long, with a wish that it would be possible for them to reconcile (even though he knew it was unlikely).

Jason didn’t expect an answer, and thus a sizable package delivered to his flat a few days later came as a surprise. He opened it after making sure that it doesn’t contain any explosive, toxic or viral material, only to find photos. Dozens, maybe hundreds of photos of Robin – correction, of _Jason_ as Robin. Among them, a note written in Drake’s hand writing said “ _You were always my boy wonder._ ”

Honestly, how was Jason supposed to react? At first, he didn’t. He just sat on the floor, staring the photos and note in front of him. _Well,_ Jason thought finally, _at least he doesn’t seem to want me in jail immediately._ And suddenly, impossible seemed possible again.


End file.
